


Friendly Date on Valentine's...?

by rtz684



Category: K (Anime)
Genre: Eric and Chitose are such pricks, In the end I changed the rating because of swearing and stuff, It features Yata after all, M/M, Mentioned IzuSeri, Mentions of LSW, No more random tags (?), Not angst but not quite fluff either, Post K Return of Kings, not sure how to tag this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-13
Updated: 2016-03-28
Packaged: 2018-05-20 00:48:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5986678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rtz684/pseuds/rtz684
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Valentine's not an important date unless you have a romantic relationship. If you are single then it's just a boring piece of crap used as an excuse by love hotels, vacation agencies and gift shops to gain money. So that year's Valentine's day shouldn't be any different to Yata. Right?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Valentine's Date? Kusanagi and Awashima? Saruhiko!?

  
He had never really cared about Valentine’s and there were various reasons for that. First. He was a guy. Why should a guy be thinking about something girly like that? It was normal not to care, right? As long as you didn’t have a girlfriend, of course. Wich lead him to the next reason. He was single. Heh... How wouldn’t he be single when he couldn’t even talk to girls. He was twenty one, for fuck’s sake, and he still hadn’t got over that already. Maybe it was something actually diagnosticable...? Whatever. He didn’t need to talk to them. And that’s reason three. He was a HOMRA member. Sure, since the Slate was destroyed their powers were slowly fading and all, but they were still a respectable gang. No need for a girlfriend when you were part of something as awesome as HOMRA. Besides, girls usually didn’t like them - They looked at them as if they were dangerous... And they were but they were nice people. _The good guys u know?_ No one in HOMRA had a girlfriend, Chitose did have his little adventures here and there - Bastard. But that didn’t count. So Yata didn’t have a girlfriend, neither did he want one. And it was okay like that. Or so he thought...

 

It was a week or so before the over-rated-teeth-rooting-day and Yata was just arriving at the bar with a bright smile on his lips.

 

"Yo!"

 

"Oh. Hello there, Yata-chan.” Kusanagi greeted calmly, rising his eyes from the glass he was polishing - Seriously, he was always cleaning, everyone teased Yata about his own problems with girls and no one ever said anything about Kusanagi’s obsession with cleanliness.... Probably for their own good.

 

"This place seems kinda empty..." The redhead said, looking around. Kusanagi, Eric, Chitose and himself were the only ones in the bar.

 

"Oh, well." Chitose intervened with a knowing look and a playful grin from the stool he was sitting on "We need to give Kusanagi-san some space... He is preparing all nice and good for his _mademoiselle_ , after all~."

 

"And you are still here." The bartender glared quietly at him and the quiet blonde sitting beside him. The first one simply shrugged non-apologetically while the other said nothing.

 

"His what?" Yata said, looking confused.

 

"He’s talking about Seri-chan..." Kusanagi sighed.

 

"Oh..."

 

The four stayed quiet for a while and then...

 

"What about her?"

 

Three heads raised to look at Yata, who didn’t bother to hide his confusion.

 

"Come on, Yata..." Chitose scoffed, shaking his head "You at least know what day next Friday is don’t you?" When Yata answered by raising a brow - To what Eric rolled his eyes - He added "It’s Valentine’s day."

 

Right, Valentines. As much as he didn’t care about the particular date, he did know it was close - It was impossible not to, when commercials on TV and shop’s merch were all about it.

 

"But... I thought that was only for couples." Muttered Yata, shifting slightly on the sit he now occupied.

 

"Exactly."

 

Silence again. When Yata looked at the others, Chitose was blinking at him, Eric had narrowed his eyes and Kusanagi was back to polishing the glass, not meeting his eyes.

 

"Eh?"

  
  
One could almost hear the mechanisms in his head turning. Yata slowly opened his eyes more and more, his skin turning slightly paler.

 

"Eeeeeeeeeeh!?"

  
  
As if on cue, everyone reacted.

  
  
"OH MY GOD YATA YOU DIDN’T KNOW!?" Chitose practically shouted, disbelief and amusement written all over his face.

  
  
Eric on the other hand didn’t seem surprised in the slightless "Figures."

  
  
"Kusanagi-san and that C-Cold Hearted Woman!?" Yata only stared at Kusanagi, ignoring the other’s comments, too bewildered to feel irritated at the moment. The bartender nodded calmly. "B-But Why!? HOW!?"

 

"Well... It kinda always had been this thing between us and when the Slate was finished It just... happened."

  
  
"Since when?!"

  
  
Kusanagi sighed and finally raised his eyes to the vanguard, putting the glass gently on the counter. "We were both busy with our respective positions in HOMRA and SCEPTER4 so it couldn’t be at the time, but... -"

  
  
"Since forever." Chitose interrupted, without being asked.

  
  
"You mean before the alliance?" Some part of him was telling him that he should probably feel happy for the older one but another much bigger one was simply freaking out. Not only because _How was I the only one who didn’t know this?_ Or the fact that they were actually together, but... "Weren’t you enemies? You fought all the time!"

  
  
Now that he thought of it, though... He had always been too concentrated in his own fights to really pay attention to others - Specially when they were against SCEPTER4 - But he had sometimes caught an eye on Kusanagi and Awashima fighting each other and though they were both really powerful and their movements were impressive, it did not seem as If they were really serious about it... Smiling at each other, half-heartedly taunting each other, it almost looked as if they were flir... ting...

  
  
"That couldn’t be helped." Kusanagi interrupted his thoughts. "But being HOMRA’s strategist and SCEPTER4’s lieutenant had nothing to do with our personal relationship.”

  
  
"She also came here all the time." Muttered Eric without looking up.

  
  
"Hm... Now that I think of it, you never encountered each other out of the battlefield... You’ve never met in the bar while she was off-duty, either.” Kusanagi raised his eyes to the ceiling and a hand to his chin, looking thoughtful.

  
  
"I-Is that so..." Yata smiled ruefully, looking down. He was probably overreacting. There was really no reason to make such a big deal of it. After all, everyone seemed to had been aware of it and he just hadn’t thought enough about it to pull the strings together until that moment. Even Munakata and Mikoto hadn’t really hated each other at that time... He knew he had acted childish, resenting the Blue King for killing his own when he had no idea what that had made him go through... Being a King was, after all, something no one but a King could understand. Now he was mature enough to accept that.

  
  
That’s right. Even if HOMRA and SCEPTER4 had rivalled in the past, they both tried to make justice in their own ways, that sometimes clashed, but were both in the end trying to reach the same peace for the city. He knew that the reason he hated the Blue Clan so much had nothing to do with that. It was actually... All about one person.

  
  
He sighed. They had talked about it, Fushimi and him, when everything had ended. After some shouting and insisting - And forcing himself to admit to the other just how much he’d missed him - Fushimi had finally told him straight that he had never liked HOMRA, had never been comfortable there. He’d told him about the Niki virus Aya had implanted in his PDA and how the Blue King had convinced him into joining his clan. After the fight against Sukuna, the near-death experience Fushimi had to go through had opened Yata’s eyes about how much SCEPTER4 really meant to his former friend. And even though there was nothing he could do but feel glad the other had finally found a place for him... It still hurt.

  
  
It hurt that he hadn’t been there for his friend when he’d needed him the most. That even though he had known more or less of the terms Fushimi and his family were on, he had had no idea of the actual gravity of it. That when he had been supposed to be the one - _The only one_ , and Yata had always felt proud and selfishly happy about that - That Fushimi trusted, the other had turned to Munakata – A total stranger at the time - And not to _him_ at such a difficult time.

  
  
That Fushimi did have a place were he belonged, and it was no longer with him.

  
  
He came back from those thoughts when he was lightly flicked on the forehead. "Ouch." Rising his eyes with a small frown, he met Kusanagi’s half-smile and mildly concerned expression.

  
  
"You were spacing out. Is something bothering you?"

  
  
"Nah... Not really." He answered half-heartedly, shaking his head. It came to his mind that thinking about other things he had forgot about the previous topic. "Anyway... I’m happy for you, Kusanagi-san... I’m sure you’ll be happy together. You fit each other very well.” He smiled gently at the other.

  
  
Kusanagi blinked for a moment, surprised by the unexpected words, but then smiled back, concern giving place to content. "Thanks."

  
  
"Wow... Did our little Vanguard become mature all of sudden?"

  
  
Yata glared at Chitose, who looked at him actually surprised – He didn’t know wich part was more irritating. The fact that he was honestly surprised that Yata could say things like that or the 'little' part - "Shut up."

  
  
"Anyway…" The chestnut-haired boy ignored him, getting up from his sit and turning to Eric. "… We should get going." The blonde nodded and did the same.

  
  
"Wait, I’m coming with you guys." Yata said, standing up to join them.

  
  
"Are you sure, Yata? You just arrived here and it’s not like I have so much to do, anyway…” He heard Kusanagi call after him.

  
  
Yata shook his head. " ’s fine. Don’t wanna be a bother. See ya." He waved a hand as he walked out of the bar, following the others.

  
  
"Okay then."

 

 

 

* * *

 

  
  
  
"Seriously though, Kusanagi-san is one lucky man" Chitose had bent his arms behind his head and leaned back, complaining lazily. They were sitting on a bench - Since even though it was February it wasn’t a particularly cold day and they had nothing better to do than chat anywhere but HOMRA. "You don’t get a busty blonde like that easily, nowadays."

  
  
Eric snorted at that. "That’s weird coming from you.”

  
  
“Well, it’s not just that she is blonde and busty... SCEPTER4’s lieutenant... The Ice Queen... Is a hard prize to get." He shivered at the thought "I’m not really into impossible girls, though... Girls who actually like to play, that’s the kind for me." He grinned meaningfully.

  
  
"Figures."

  
  
"HEY! Well what kind of girls do you like, then?"

  
  
Eric simply looked away.

  
  
Scoffing, Chitose turned his head to the left, now looking at Yata. "What about you, Yata...?"

  
  
Silence.

  
  
"... YA-TA."

  
  
Said man blinked, looking up when he was brought out of his thoughts - again. "Uh...?"

  
  
Chitose grinned knowingly at him "This guy’s already have someone in mind, hm~.” He said to Eric, seeming as if he had forgot about his earlier irritation with the other, without moving his eyes from Yata.

  
  
"Totally."

  
  
"W-What?" As expected, the redhead blushed at that, widening his eyes and rising his brows.

  
  
"Though you never know with this one. Since he reacts like that to every little thing." Eric added.

  
  
"SHUT UP!" _I’m so gonna hit this guy, sooner or later._ "I don’t!"

  
  
Across from Chitose, Eric turned his head to look at him, leaning forwards a little. He raised an eyebrow "Right."

  
  
"Hey! Is that supposed to be sarc-"

  
  
"Anyway." Chitose interrupted raising his hands in a ’let’s calm down a little’ way. "So." He then turned back to Yata with that I-love-nosing-into-everyone’s-private-life-smirk of his "Who’s the lucky girl...~?"

  
  
"T-There’s no one... " Yata pouted, furrowing his brows defensively.

  
  
"C’mon... We’re all friends here, you can tell us, it’ll be our little secret." Chitose patted his shoulder in what was supposed to be a reassuring way, but the malice in his smile betrayed him completely. The moment Yata opened his mouth, all HOMRA would be informed, with details.

  
  
Well whatever. He had nothing to fear because he wasn’t hiding anything. There was no one he liked, he had just been thinking about Saruhiko. And that was all.

  
  
Two completely unrelated topics.

  
  
It was just... Even though they had talked things over and were supposed to be friends again, he didn’t really have the chance to meet the other. And that was, because Fushimi was always working. ... Always. Yata tried, really tried to keep in contact despite everything. They could never go back to that time were it was only the two of them, their Small Word had widened and so their relationship could never be the same, he was aware of that. Besides, they had hurt each other too much to simply let it pass even if they were both willing to forgive each other. But still... Even with all that... Yata thought that once they went back to hanging out together - Once it stopped being awkward, after all those years - They could become something again... Something different from their Middle School days but something... Together...

  
  
No matter how determined he was to make things work between them, though, there was no possible way to it if they didn’t even see each other. Every time he asked Fushimi to meet, spend the evening together or even eat some fast food with him like they used to, he always got the same answer: First, silence. Then a click of tongue. And finally, an irritated-sounding "I’m busy" or "Not today".

  
  
Seriously how were they suposed to be friends again if the bastard didn’t even try?!

  
  
When he was flicked on the forehead, the second time that day, he couldn’t help but snap "Stop that already!"

  
  
Chitose retreated his hand to his pocket, shrugging. "Then quit spacing out. Your girl’s got you crazy, uh?"

  
  
"I SAID THERE IS NO GIRL!"

  
  
"Noisy chihuahua."

  
  
Yata balled his hands into fists, trembling with irritation. "Eric, one more of those comments and I swear- "

  
  
"Well, the girlfriend thing is pretty over-rated, if you ask me.” Chitose talked right over him - not-so-subtly changing the subject to avoid Yata’s angry outburst. "I think I’m just going to find some pretty chick to spend Valentine’s night with, no strings attached."

  
  
"Take’em and leave’em, uh..." Eric said.

  
  
"It’s not like I have to date them just to be with them. You are just too old-fashioned, Surt. Don’t you know? The world’s for the practical guys. None of that ‘feelings’ crap is needed."

  
  
"That’s actually pretty rude." Yata frowned at him. As much as he couldn’t talk to them, he did think women needed the respect they deserved from a gentleman. "What kind of man are you?"

  
  
"You of all people shouldn’t be saying that." Chitose shot back. Yata raised an eyebrow at him. "Just ’cause you can’t date girls doesn’t mean you have to stay a virgin for life, you know."

 

Yata blushed again "A-As if I care about any of that, you pervert! That’s not the point!"

  
  
"What about boys, then?"

  
  
"WHAT?" Yata’s eyes widened even more. In contrast, it was Chitose’s turn to raise an eyebrow at him, not acting like a total prick this time but actually calm and serious.

  
  
"What? It is a possibility isn’t it?"

  
  
"N-No!" Okay, he had never really considered it and there was also the fact he had never fell for a girl but... No way. Right...?

  
  
Chitose’s expression hardened "Are you an homophobic or something? ’Cause that’s not cool, you know..." Eric shook his head in agreement.

  
  
"That’s not it... "

  
  
"Okay then, but you’ve got to be into _something_. Everyone is." Rising his hand, Chitose pointed his thumb to his right, at Eric, still looking at Yata "Even this guy."

  
  
"Hey... " Blue eyes narrowed at that thumb, brow twitching.

  
  
"Not everyone..." Yata replied, frowning slightly but without much confidence.

  
  
"I’m telling you, everyone."

  
  
"But..." Was it really mandatory to like someone? He had never felt that way before... Or at least he thought he didn’t. Saruhiko and him used to laugh at the thought of it and the love-struck idiots that were some of their classmates. Speaking of wich... "At least one... Or two people, out of a hundred..."

  
  
Chitose looked incredulous at that totally random fact. "Yeah? Like who. And just so you know, saying yourself doesn’t count."

  
  
Yata shifted a little, feeling uncomfortable for some reason, and adverted his eyes.

  
  
"S-Saruhiko... Probably..."

  
...

  
...

  
...

  
_What’s with this sudden silence!?_

  
  
When Yata snapped his head back at them, Eric and Chitose were exchanging blank looks.

  
  
The silence was seriously getting on his nerves "What?!"

  
  
"Uh..." Chitose rose a hand to his nape, scratching awkwardly as he refused to meet Yata’s eyes. "I... Can’t really tell with that guy... I never got to know him..."

  
  
Eric also had adverted his gaze "Same here..."

  
  
"Ha!" For some reason, that made Yata feel confident - good thing, too, because it felt as if he’d been having the lower hand this whole conversation. "Well, I can assure you-"

  
  
"However..."

  
  
... Yata felt his brow twitch.

  
  
"That guy..."

  
  
"That kind of person..."

  
  
"He probably..."

  
  
"Yeah..."

  
  
"STOP WITH THE HALF-SENTECES!"

  
  
After looking silently at eachother for what seemed like a year - Wich was actually a few seconds but Yata was pretty irritated at that point - They both turned to him and said. "Has a girlfriend.”

  
  
"WHAT!?!?!" Alright, that was the breaking point. Sure, the conversation had been pretty stupid from the start but this was just... Ridiculous. Saruhiko, having a girlfriend? Fushimi Saruhiko? Were they talking about the same anti-social emotionless vegetable-hater?

  
  
“Yeah… I don’t really understand it myself…” Said Chitose with an unconvinced voice under Yata’s shocked stare. “But some girls are into that, for some reason.” He shrugged.

  
  
“What the-… Into what!?”

  
  
“Cold Guys or somethin’.” Seeing that Yata’s stare was still fixed on him he raised an eyebrow “What? I’m not talking about myself. I simply know that kind of stuff.”

  
  
“How….!? THERE’S NO WAY ANY GIRL WOULD SPEND MORE THAN A SECOND ALONE WITH THAT GUY AND NOT BE MENTALLY EXHAUSTED! HE’S SO UNCOOPERTAIVE! AND SARCASTIC! AND A HUGE ASSHOLE TOO!” He didn’t realize he was to yelling so loud that people passing by had started staring at them. He couldn’t see it anyway, too freaked out at the moment.

  
  
“Well, some people might like him, though.” Chitose seemed a little put-out by his reaction.

  
  
“Like WHO!?” Yata spread his arms wide meaningfully, still wide-eyed.

  
  
“Like… Hm… You?” His eyebrow raised even further.

  
  
Yata froze. That… Okay… Was true. But! Still! T-They were friends before, and at the time he hadn’t been so unbearably annoying! – Okay he may had been anti-social an arrogant all the same and Yata had insisted in hanging out with him anyway – But that wasn’t the point. It was just… When they met he thought that Saruhiko was really amazing and… Well he still was… _WHATEVER! THERE´S NO WAY HE HAS A GIRLFRIEND! FUCK THAT._

 

… Why was he so irritated about this? …

 

“T-That’s… different…” Yata mumbled, looking away and blushing.

  
  
Chitose and Eric both looked at him, puzzled, and then looked at each other.

  
  
They stayed like that for a few seconds and then there seemed to be some kind of understanding between them, because a mischievous grin formed slowly on their mouths and then they simultaneously turned that grin at Yata. With those narrowed eyes, they looked like evil scientists ready to experiment on a Guinea pig.

  
  
“Well~ There’s only one way to find out…~” Chitose drawled mysteriously. Somehow, the way he said that was similar to Fushimi’s teasing drawl… But more childish-like.

  
  
“What are you talking about?” Yata said, mumbling again, and gave him a shy glance, blush still on his face.

  
  
“Well… Friday’s Valentine’s day right... Why don’t you ask him out…~?”

  
  
At that, the shorter’s eyes slowly widened again, almost comically, blushing more than ever. But before he started stuttering Chitose huffed, closing his eyes “Not in that sense, idiot.” Eric rolled his eyes.

  
  
Yata stayed quiet, staring at them in confusion.

  
  
“You’ve just got to ask him to hang out with you on Friday normally. If he refuses, you only have to keep asking off-headedly until he gives something away. That way you’ll know if he does have a girlfriend or not” Chitose said.

 

Yata blinked and considered the idea for a few seconds… Before shaking his head slowly. “Nah… He would say ‘No’ even if he didn’t. He’s working all the time. Probably on that day too.” Seriouslly, just how much work could it be? That Munakata was definitely a sadist.

 

“Are you really sure?”

 

When he raised his gaze again, Chitose had his arms bent over his chest, looking thoughtful – Maybe way to concentrated… As if he was acting. “Wouldn’t it be weird for the Blue’s boss having his third-in-command more occupied than his lieutenant?”

 

… “What do you mean?”

 

“That woman’s spending Valentine’s with Kusanagi-san, isn’t she.” Eric said.

 

  
_Huh_ … Looking at it that way, it did seem weird… Didn't higher positions take more responsability or whatever?

 

“Wich menas…” Chitose continued. “If he does have a girlfriend, he’ll be taking that day off, too.”

  
  
“And in case he’s laying, you’ll just have to go to their Head Quartes and check it out yourself.”

 

“It’s not like they don’t know you there. Just ask them if Fushimi’s in at the moment and you’ll find out.”

 

Yata gave them a blank look, as he mulled it over. It… Wasn’t such a bad idea. And apart from the possible embarrassment to come with it, Saruhiko had no reason to keep that hypothetical relationship a secret from Yata, right…? - He frowned a little as he kept on thinking – _Besides It’s normal for me to care about this stuff, right? We are friends, after all. Of course I would like to know that kind of thing._ Somehow thinking that made him feel determined and confident.

  
  
Why had he felt like he needed an excuse, tough?

  
  
“Fine…” Yata muttered, still frowning for himself for some reason. “I guess I’ll give it a try…”

  
  
“Good.” Chitose said, even though Yata wasn’t listening to him – And exchanged another glance with Eric.

 

 

 

* * *

 

  
  
  
Chitose and Eric watched Yata’s retreating back until it was out of sight and then Chitose sighed and closed his eyes, smiling somehow contently.

  
  
“‘Homophobic’.” Snorted Eric, from his side.

  
  
“Well I didn’t know…” Chitose frowned slightly, defending himself. After some seconds of silence, he grinned again keeping his eyes closed. “So Fushimi’s our ‘lucky girl’ uh…”

  
  
Eric snorted again and also grinned to himself. “I wouldn’t even call him ‘lucky’.”

 

 

 

* * *

 _\--TO BE CONTINUED_.--


	2. Meeting. Competition. Café. Feelings.

Yata's eyes were fixed on the uniformed chibi figure moving his sword up and down that his PDA was displaying, tense all over. It hadn’t been much, but to him the time he’d been waiting for the other to pick up his call seemed like ages. Now he was staring at it and it felt as if it would keep going like that forever. He was expecting that voice to sound at any moment but at the same time he wasn’t. That’s what happens when you are awaiting a really important thing to happen, like your name being called out by the showman to perform in a contest while you are waiting in the back and you know it’s your turn.

 

Except he wasn’t participating in a goddamn contest. He was calling _Saruhiko_.

 

Why the hell was he so nervous!? And not just then. From the moment he had left Chitose and Eric to themselves for whatever plan they had – Probably just slacking, in the end. – He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it. Saruhiko having a girlfriend, that was. No matter how much Chitose knew about girl’s preferences or whatever, it was bullshit. It just couldn’t be. He had stopped walking then and he had frowned. _Even if he did take a free day on Valentine’s to be with this ‘girlfriend' – Sounds soo stupid oh my God – He still wouldn’t have time to date her. Hell, he doesn’t even see me because of his shitty-governmental-job. Much less would he be able to keep a relationship._  As much as he wasn’t experienced in dating, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to know that. And it was not like Fushimi would try to get more free time just to keep someone content -That much he knew – Even if he could actually get it.

 

‘You are going to have to deal with it on your own. This is how things are, it’s not like I care whether you like it or not.’ _Yeah…. That sounds like something Saru would say._

 

How did Kusanagi and Awashima do it, anyway? Ah… But Kusanagi probably wouldn’t complain about his SCEPTER4 girlfriend working an insane amount of time every day since he was pretty busy with his own stuff, too. So they probably didn’t see each other much. Seriously though, that had to suck. He was already fucking frustrated for not being able to see Fushimi as much as he wanted to – Actually, for not being able to see him barely at all – And he didn’t even feel that way about him. Not spending time with the person you love really had to be the worst.

 

 _And I don’t even feel that way about him._  He’s own thought came back to him for some reason and his frown deepened on one brow while the other raised slightly. He felt bothered and confused… Why? There was nothing special in that thought.

 

When he’d arrived back home he tried to distract himself with something and started with the house chores but those didn’t need much concentration to get over with, really, and as he was at it he still felt strangely self-conscious and kept glancing at his PDA from the corner of his eyes, thinking about what he was going to say to Saruhiko and how he was going to say it.

 

Now he sat on the edge of his bed with his wrist slightly raised, eyes fixed on the screen and he felt his heart beat faster and stronger as it seemed to echo in his ears. _C’mon…. Just-._

 

“This is Fushimi.” The voice came as flat and devoid of emotion as ever but it made Yata suck in a breath, anyway.

 

He tried to relax but when he answered he ended up stuttering “H-Hey…” Fushimi’s way of answering the phone always irritated him because he treated him as if he was just some random person when he _knew_   it was Yata calling him – And this time there was no excuse because once they had reconciled, Yata’d obliged him to add his number to his contact list, just to realize Fushimi had never delated it in the first place.

 

“… Hello.”

 

“Yeah…”

 

This was so fucking awkward already, God damn it!

 

There was a click of tongue “… If this is all you wanted, then I’ll be hanging up n-”

 

“N-NO!” Yata snapped almost desperately “I-I mean… Uh…” … _JUST FUKING SAY IT!_  “Like…” He frowned to himself. He seriously shouldn’t be making such a big deal out of it. This was ridiculous. “I was thinking… Would you like to hang out on Valentine ’s Day…?”

 

... Silence.

 

_Fuck. I should have said on ‘Friday’._

 

“If you are busy, it’s okay, really!” He added almost as if he was running out of time or had said something highly inappropriate. It may be both. He wouldn’t really be surprised if the other hung up on him right then and there.

 

There was a long pause. And then “Why.”

 

For some reason it left him dumbfounded “… Eh?” He was sure he was going to get made fun of for that.

 

But… No _Are you really that idiot or do you just have a hearing problem_  Or any of the sort came. “I said Why.” The voice at the end of the line sounded oddly serious.

 

Yata shifted uncomfortably on his bed. No way he was going to explain his real intentions. “Well… Since we hadn’t seen each other in a while, I thought it would be nice…. A-And that it might be a good opportunity, you know…”

 

 _Why on Valentine’s._  Yata thought that would be his friend’s next question and was going to answer with a _Because I thought you might not be working on that day._  And then maybe the other would finally say No, I have work on that day too or – And he hoped. Really hoped that wasn`t the case – I’m going on a Date with someone.

 

“………Okay”

 

WHAT!?!?!?!

 

 _Okay!? What does he mean okay!? Wait… Wait…Does that mean he’s really agreeing to it!?_  Well… He obviously was, right. No... But… _He really doesn’t have to work?_  And then… _Is there no girlfriend in the end_? … Yata opened his eyes wide. So there wasn’t…

 

“Really…?”

 

The tongue-clicking noise was louder this time, as if more irritated “You were the one who proposed it.”

 

“I-I know… I just…”  _… Wasn’t expecting you to accept…_  Yata responded sounding a bit dazed.

 

There was some noise in the background. “I’ve got to hung up now.” Fushimi said “I’ll text you later.” The second part came in a lower tone.

 

“Yeah…”

 

_Beep._

 

And just like that, Yata was alone in his room, silent. It wasn’t like he didn’t want to see Saru – He did, a lot. – But… On Valentine’s Day it felt… Different. Not like anything was going to change because of the stupid date, but… Wouldn’t it be weird? Well a guy like Saruhiko probably didn’t give two shits about it and hadn’t even bothered considering it. Wich made sense, they were friends after all and on top of that, men.

 

So why was _he_  feeling self-conscious about it?

 

What Yata didn’t notice, though, was that he was also blushing slightly and smiling like an idiot. And he had completely forgot about why he had phoned Fushimi in the first place.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 _Six o’clock in the old park._  Fushimi typed on the text gap of his phone’s mailing app once he was off of work, having selected Yata’s contact. His thumb hoovered over the _send_  button and he narrowed his eyes.

 

That Yata’s proposition had surprised him would be an understatement. It wasn’t like it had been the first time he asked him to hang out after the reconciliation, of course. The truth was… Fushimi had been avoiding him. He had never expected or wanted to be friends again with the redhead to be honest. There had been a reason why he left him, and he didn’t resent that choice. _What is the point in staying where you are not needed?_  Okay, maybe that wasn’t the best way to put it. Maybe Yata had missed him and maybe he really never stopped needing him either but in the end, it was all the same.

 

Because Yata didn’t need him like he needed him. Yata wanted him by his side just to have him there, his presence seemed to be enough to satisfy him. In the HOMRA days, even if he had been mad at him because of his bad attitude Yata would have been more than okay as long as he had stayed there with a stupid grin on his face resembling his own. He needed Mikoto to look up to and his friends to have fun with. He needed Fushimi as another side-character just to feel good himself. But he didn’t need Fushimi for Fushimi himself, Fushimi as a person, Fushimi as the other main character to share his life with.

 

That was the plain truth and he was not going to fool himself into believing something else.

 

The only question was if it had always been like that, even when they had been just middle schoolers fooling around together, believing they could change the world. Even if in the end they couldn’t, even if they had been just an insignificant part of a whole system they couldn’t understand Fushimi had found out somewhere along the way that he didn’t really mind. He’d lost faith in the world but found something much more precious. He’d found Yata.

 

Fushimi realized his own feelings in the most normal way. He just… Did. It was 4 am on a particularly hot summer day and he couldn’t sleep no matter how much he turned and turned in his bed. Sweat stuck to his body and he didn’t seem to be able to find the right position. The thing was, he hadn’t been the only one sweating. And now he couldn’t get Yata’s image out of his mind, wearing a tank top a little too big for him that showed too much skin for Fushimi’s liking, sitting on the sofa of their shared apartment and frowning at the console in his hands like he had been for a while and didn’t seem able to complete the level he was going through. Fushimi too, had been unconsciously staring at him from behind for quite some time now and he didn’t come back to reality until Yata turned – Adorably – pouting at him, silently asking him to help him through the game.

 

And then there he was, eight hours later still thinking about it, looking fixedly at the ceiling while listening to Yata’s sleepy heavy breathing from the bottom bunk. It wasn’t like he hadn’t actually known or at least _suspected_  that his feelings for the other were something deeper than friendship. He just hadn’t wanted to accept it. But now, it was too late. _I like him._  He thought - More like let the thought dawn on him against his will - and put his arm over his eyes, clenching his teeth and groaning.

 

It wasn’t as if Fushimi had left because of those feelings – He wasn’t nearly as egoist as that. – There were plenty of other reasons too. And anyway he never needed his feelings to be mutual. Friendship was fragile as it was – And even if he hadn’t known before they joined HOMRA, it would prove to be – He wasn’t about to get himself involved into some stupid romantic relationship, even if he kind of… With Yata… Maybe……..

 

… No. It was fine as long as they stayed together, as friends, only the two of them. It _would_  have been fine. But it seemed like the redhead hadn’t thought the same.

 

And he never planned telling him any of those things either, he’d never even wanted to be on good terms with him again because ‘good terms’ with Yata had proved to mean making him satisfied just so he could go back to ignore you, forget about you eventually. And Fushimi was not going to take that. He’d take his secrets to the grave, swallow down his feelings and keep making him hate him forever if that was what it took for the other to actually _see_  him _think_  about him. Be _aware of his existence_.

 

But then, JUNGLE appeared and the alliance happened and he agreed to that stupid suicidal mission. And Yata’d gone and saved his life. There really was not going back to _I hate you_ ’s and _I’ll fucking kill you_ ’s after that, was there. So the game was over. And Fushimi lost. Now it was time to be sincere, start over with that fake companionship until it’s inevitable ending and be forgotten. It was a destiny he had been delaying all that time but he couldn’t run away anymore.

 

 _If that’s the case I might as well skip the ‘friends’ thing all together and go directly to the ‘back to being strangers’ part._  If he couldn’t have Yata forever, being friends, enemies or whatever, he was not interested in having him at all. Not going to risk taking his hopes high again.

 

Back to present, though. He clicked his tongue. Really why had he gone and accepted to meet with him, after having avoided him all those times before? This was pointless. The worst part was that a malicious childish voice was whispering in his head about how he _knew_  the reason why, and tried to remind him, mocking him, said reason.

 

‘Because it’s Valentine’s day. Because Misaki – Always so honest Misaki. So painfully honest, whether with words or actions or attitude.- Had seemed so nervous when he mentioned it. Because it had sounded so much like a dat-’ _Shut up_.

 

_I don’t care._

 

Well it was too late to back off. Rejecting the offer now and having to explain his reasons sounded complicated and incredibly bothersome. He knew Yata wouldn’t let go of it so easily. Sighing, he finally pressed ‘send’ and turned off the device, stuffing it in his pocket. He didn’t want to read Yata’s excited answer - Whatever it may be - didn’t even want to think about it, he just wanted to forget about the stupid mess he had got himself into as much as possible.

 

“Fushimi-san!” A happy voice said from behind him and he turned his face to find Hidaka Akira smiling at him. It happened somehow in such sync with the moment he was retracting his hand from the pocket that he narrowed his eyes suspiciously – That guy hadn’t been _observing_  him from behind and had raised his voice just then, had he. “Done with work already?” The guy’s smile didn’t falter.

 

“Yes.”

 

“Good! You know, I was wondering-.”

 

“No.” Fushimi cut him off, voice flat.

 

“… U-Uh…” Hidaka’s bright expression contorted a little. He hadn’t really been surprised after all, just how much had this scene repeated itself lately? “Why?”

 

So predictable. Of course if he just said _Because I don’t want to_  Hidaka would insist about how he had never even tried and all of that crap. So he went with a “I’m tired.”

 

“Oh!” He seemed to brighten up at that, the idiot “Then, tomorrow…”

 

“No.”

 

“T-Then, next week?”

 

“No.”

 

“Why!?” Hidaka looked desperate. He was always trying to make him bond with the others even if he was obviously seen as a pain. Fushimi wished he just stopped. “Then, next Friday!?”

 

With a click of tongue, he was about to answer him mechanically again but he… Froze. _Next Friday._   His thoughts repeated. “Hm?” The brown-haired boy tilted his head sideways “Is there something… Ah!” His eyes shone. “Could it be you have a girlfriend to spend Valentine’s Day with, Fushimi-san?”

 

 _Next_ _Friday._  He said it just like that. Like the most natural thing in the world. And he was AWARE it was Valentine’s Day. Well why should he act any different just because of that? They were both guys. So it really had no meaning uh. Moreover, if Hidaka who was his co-worker and nothing more could invite him to hang out normally like that on that special day, of course Yata, who’d known him since forever would have no reason to feel self-conscious about it.

 

About the stuttering… Well considering it was Valentine’s Day it didn’t really matter who Yata was meeting with. He was a hopeless virgin either way.

 

“Fushimi-san…?”

 

Grounding his teeth, Fushimi got up from his chair and readied himself to go back to his dorm and change into some more comfortable clothes for the rest of the day “Next week, you say. Just how much free time do you have? Do we really work for the same organization?” He said not bothering to answer the other’s stupid question.

 

“Hm… No, well… We are busy as well but since we mostly battle on the frontlines we don’t have that much paper work to- Wait! Are you even listening?”

 

But Fushimi wasn’t and he was already leaving the computer room and going down the hallway.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

On February the fourteenth, 5:50 pm, Yata was practically trembling. And not from the cold. Jaw clenched, fists tight inside the pockets of his coat, he looked as if ready to attack. _Gah! This is so irritating!_  Why did he have to feel like that? He was not about to have a fight. More like the opposite. And Saruhiko was not some unknown person either, he should be more than used to this. But he wasn’t. Well, no matter how he looked at it, Fushimi had changed with the years, drastically so. And he was not at all like the person who used to be Yata’s best friend when he was just a brat. Not in the ‘He’s a damn traitor now’ way, of course, but he was definitely different. And at the same time he was still Saruhiko, extremely intelligent, cold and bad at being honest. Maybe that was what made him feel so on-edge, it was the first time – Well not exactly the first time but there had been only so many times before today – that he was meeting the other in a friendly way after all that had happened.

 

The fact that it was Valentine’s had nothing to do with it. At all. In any case maybe it was the stupid couples giggling with their lovey-dovey auras walking around that made him more irritated but seriously who wouldn’t be? _G-Go kiss somewhere else, damn it. This is a children’s park!_

 

In fact… It was a park near Himuka Middle School. The two of them used to hang out there a lot. _Ah… This brings back some memories…_  In the swings a little further he could see his past self and Saruiko’s looking at the sky and babbling about stupid things like secret bases or crushing spaceships. Then Yata would look back at his friend with a wide smile… And the other boy would maybe soften his expression and give back a small smile too. A smile that was so rare and so fragile, maybe that was what made it so worthy and precious. Looking at the empty swings, he felt a warm sensation spread from his chest. He wondered if that part of Fushimi had changed too. _If it hasn’t, It’d be nice to see him smile like that again…_

 

“You are here early.”

 

Flinching, Yata turned to see Fushimi standing behind the bench he was sitting on, with his hands in his pockets and face partially covered by a scarf. The coat looked warm and it was close-fitting, it’s dark colour making contrast against his owner’s pale skin just like his hair and glasses. He wasn’t wearing anything special but somehow… He looked nice.

 

“How unusual.” Fushimi added, and Yata looked back to his flat face, realizing he’d been scanning him from head to feet.

 

“W-Well I just felt like coming before… And good day to you too!” He said, frowning at the other. Did he had to act like an ass over everything? Maybe he was sometimes late but only _sometimes_  and besides, they didn’t even meet lately, he had no right to complain. This time he had been feeling nervous for a while for whatever reason and couldn’t help arriving earlier. Speaking of wich… It wasn’t six o’clock yet, wasn’t Fushimi a little early too…? The bespectacled man raised an eyebrow and Yata looked away

 

“What do you wanna do…?” Yata asked.

 

“You invited me.”

 

“I know but I didn’t have anything in mind?”

 

“Is that how you plan things?”

 

“Che. I don’t plan hanging out with friends.”

 

There was a small pause. When Yata looked back again, blue eyes were staring at him intently. “… What?” The redhead asked.

 

Fushimi clicked his tongue and it was him who looked away this time “Nothing.”

 

 _Huh?_  What was that. Had he been expected to say something else? After a few seconds Yata got on his feet “Well, since you don’t seem to have any idea either… Do you want to go to the arcade or somethin’?” That was kind of lame but he didn’t know what to do and he remembered the other liked it there.

 

“Not there.”

 

“Why?” Was he being difficult on purpose?!

 

 _I am not willing to stain the memories we made there with this new fake friendship of yours._  “Just because. Let’s go to the cinema instead”

 

“Uh…” The cinema? But, there they would just look at the screen in silence and wouldn’t interact with each other. He wanted to do something he could enjoy doing with Saru - Not that he wouldn’t enjoy watching a movie with him - but he could go to the cinema by himself anytime. This was a special occasion. Besides…

 

Being with Fushimi, sitting next side by side in the dim light… On this particular day… “N-Nah… There’d only be romantic crap today, probably…” He scratched his cheek, embarrassed.

 

“Ah.” When he heard that small gasp, Saruhiko was watching him, looking thoughtful, mouth opened just a little “Even now, you are a virgin that wouldn’t stand that kind of thing, would you.”

 

Yata could see that grin forming even as an irritated frown settled on his own face “That’s NOT it!” And for once, it truly wasn’t. It wasn’t the content of the movie that was the problem – at least, not entirely. Seriously what was wrong with him today? _I just want to talk to him, that’s why!_  Hm? Why did it feel like he was trying to convince himself about it?

 

Still, been Valentine’s Day with mostly every place in the city filled with couples and every event at the moment related to romantic stuff, What could they possibly do? “Hey!” Suddenly it hit him, the frown disappearing from his face led to a bright smile “There’s this huge skateboard competition all week, wanna come? The place where it’s held is awesome and the participants do amazing tricks too, it really is great!”

 

Fushimi never had much interest in skateboarding or sports in general unless the one rolling was Misaki, but he could sense in his voice and the way his eyes sparkled as he spoke how excited the idea made him. Well, whatever to get this over with… “Fine.” He said nonchalantly, looking somewhere off the side.

 

Yata seemed a little surprised at how the other so easily submitted, and then his smile widened even more. “Okay!”

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

The arena where the competition took place was fairly big, enough that the crowd’s screaming at the performer’s loops and slides were thunderous, too much noise – and people – for Fushimi’s liking. They were forced to stand and he couldn’t even move without brushing against someone, so he stood as still as he could and clicked his tongue whenever someone did it to him. How unpleasant. The show itself wasn’t all that impressive either – or maybe it was but he simply wasn’t interested in it.

 

Even with all that, when he spared a glance to his side, Yata was yelling and cheering with the crowd, eyes shining with excitement and a radiant smile on his face. He sometimes looked more serious though, analyzing the skater’s movements carefully. One could tell he was also experienced on the matter. _Well. If he’s having fun I guess it’s fine._  The taller man thought, rolling his eyes back to the spectacle. He would check the time on is PDA but with all the movement and the closeness with those strangers it would probably get hit and fall or be stolen. He clicked his tongue again.

 

“Are you bored?” He heard the redhead ask as another roar from the crowd vibrated through the place, tough audible enough.

 

He turned his head and was met with cautious amber eyes “‘s fine. There’s nothing else to do anyway.”

 

Yata shifted a little, looking down “Yeah, but… It’s been so long since I last saw you, I wanted to do something we could both enjoy.”

 

His innocence was captivating, somehow. So Fushimi fixed his eyes on some uninteresting thing instead. The way the other kept acting so hopeful and optimist about this renewed friendship of his – theirs…? – Really got on his nerves. Or that’s what he told himself at least, it was more like it made his heart beat not faster, but harder. “I said ‘s fine” And he really wasn’t lying. Looking at the boy’s smiling face could never be boring. Blinding the first years, then infuriating, but never boring.

 

“Hm” Yata turned away and his face seemed to light up once more “Did you see that thing he just did? It’s called a Laser Flip. You know, when he jumped and made the skate turn under him?” he was pointing with his finger, careful not to bother anyone in front of them, and Fushimi followed his gaze “It’s harder than it seems, takes a lot of practice. That one was considerably difficult, I’m sure he’s gonna get a lot of points for that.”

 

The other said nothing but when Yata looked sideways at him, he was looking to the front with a concentrated look on his eyes that made Yata grin a little.

 

“Now he is getting to the rail zone, where the slide tricks are made.”

 

“I can tell that much myself.” Fushimi snorted.

 

“Yeah, yeah… OH!” He moved closer to him, since Fushimi was closer to where the skater was rolling this time “See that feeble grind? Wow that is a long one! Though the landing was kinda off” He cringed his nose, sympathizing with the skater. “But he’s doing a lot of flips, if he wants to compensate that…” Without thinking, he put his hand on Fushimi’s shoulder as he spoke, leaning even closer to emphasize his point, somehow.

 

And even though it shouldn’t have been important…

 

Even though it should have felt normal, casual…

 

He turned his head without thinking, and the fixed stare he was getting from the dark haired man send a shiver down his spine.

 

He stood frozen, eyes a bit wider than usual, fingers trembling slightly and he could do nothing but stare back. The crowd kept cheering in waves, but somehow the sound was duller, as it sounding from far away and not everywhere around them. _W-What_.

 

Time kept passing, and those blue eyes didn’t move from his. The look in them was unreadable, not mad, not surprised, just… Intense. The same kind of look he had got earlier in the park, when he’d talked about not having concrete plans when hanging out with friends. As if he was expecting something.

 

“S-Sorry…” He removed his hand and looked to the opposite side, though he didn’t really know what he was apologizing for. He could still feel that stare on the back of his skull and it gave him a strange feeling in the stomach that made him feel self-conscious - _again_. Except for trip from the park to there, he’d been having this kind of strange sensations all day. No, in fact, from the moment he had asked the other to hang out, days ago. A very confusing mix of excitement an embarrassment.

 

 _He’s acting weird._  Was what Fushimi was thinking in that exact moment. Unlike his – temporary – friend, he was well aware of what his feelings where and had made his resolve of never speaking them out long ago. But the way Yata was acting now was nothing like what he was used to. _Must be the Valentine’s thing._  Did it really affect him that much? Fushimi closed his eyes tightly, preventing his mind from drifting towards troublesome and unhelpful possibilities.

 

The arena was roaring louder, but neither of them were paying attention. After some good hours later, the competition ended and the guy that had been performing while all that happened won. He must have compensated all his flaws, like Yata had said. But again, neither of them had been concentrated enough to witness it.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

When they got back to the city center, it was already getting dark. Some of the screens on the skyscrapers and other tall modern buildings were lighting up, fluffy commercials and other romantic related stuff showing on them. However, it wasn’t as uncomfortable as Yata thought it would be. He walked alongside Fushimi, excitedly talking about the skateboard event again and again as if Fushimi hadn’t been there, though the other simply listened and nodded anyway.

 

It was… Nice. Like in the old times. A good atmosphere.

 

Just what Yata had been wanting for so long.

 

After a while, Fushimi proposed to go for a coffee, and so they did. The cafeteria was a small and cozy, couples sat here and there but they were chatting calmly and the air wasn’t that thick with lovey-doveyness. They found a small table in a corner, next to the window, and sat opposite from the other. After some minutes, Yata asked him what he wanted and marched to the counter to ask for their drinks.

 

Fushimi looked through the window, both elbows on the table and one cheek resting on his fist, head slightly tilted to the side. It was getting cold outside and the glass was a bit blurred. He watched the people pass without any real interest, eyes lidded. This… Wasn’t really as irritating as he thought it would be. He had expected Yata to smile and yell – wich he did – pushing and dragging him around, wich had never been a problem, as long as he got to see Yata’s excited face he was willing to go anywhere. But by the end of the day, he thought he would be tired and wanting to go home already.

 

And he didn’t.

 

Somehow, Yata was calmer today. He didn’t know if it was just today’s mood or that he really had changed through the years they spent apart, even if just a little. Despite having all that innocence and excitement of a child, he looked more mature. It was a side of Misaki he had hardly ever seen. He couldn’t say he disliked it.

 

There had been also those strange moments.

 

“Here.” A cup of was placed in front of him “Black coffee. Just like you wanted it, right?” Yata was grinning.

 

“Well, congrats on taking care of such a hard task.” He answered though with no real bite as Yata placed his own drink on his side of the table and sat in front of Fushimi.

 

“ _You are welcome,_ asshole.” He didn’t seem all that angry either. He had that kind of content expression on his face. It made Fushimi feel warm.

 

He lowered his eyes to the other’s cup, and smiled. “Hm~… Typical.”

 

“What?” Yata answered, taking a sip of his drink.

 

“Marshmallow chocolate? Aren’t you a bit old for that?”

 

He rolled his eyes. “What. Just because I’m an adult now I cannot enjoy sweet things anymore?”

 

See? That was it. Old Yata would have got irritated and answered defensively with something like _What, got a problem?_   or _Don’t treat me like a child!_  “Mhmm.” Fushimi shook his head lightly. “I guess you are right.”

 

He heard Yata put his drink down. “Oh.” Fushimi raised an eyebrow at him and was met with a little smile. “That’s unexpected, coming from you.”

 

He looked back at the window, finally trying his own coffee. “Is that so?”

 

“Yeah.” The smile turned into a smirk. “Are you rehabilitating from being a dick?”

 

Okay. Not that mature after all. “Tsk.”

 

And then, Yata laughed, and he turned his head without thinking. Head tilted back slightly, eyes closed and mouth open, white teeth showing as the natural sound flowed from his throat. It had been so long since he had seen him laugh like this, open heartedly and for him, and not someone else, without any mocking tone.

 

He couldn’t look away.

 

When he stopped, Yata looked back at him, a wide smile still remaining on his lips “What is it?”

 

Fushimi realized he had probably been staring too much. He’d been doing that a lot today, he really had to stop. “Nothing.” He said, looking off the side, chin resting on his fist.

 

He didn’t notice the small smile playing on his lips or the way his eyes softened with fondness.

 

But Yata did, and he quickly took another sip from his chocolate, cheeks flushed. Fushimi didn’t notice that either.

 

Yata didn’t know why everything today was affecting him so much. He had asked Fushimi to spend Valentine’s Day with him in order to find out if he did or not have a girlfriend – wich in the end he didn’t, did he. He really should have known. Stupid Chitose and his stupid theories.- Now he was having a good time with his best friend after so much time and he was really happy, but what was with all the self-consciousness? Something inside his head was nagging him, the feeling that he was missing something important. He seemed to miss important stuff a lot and it never ended well. But what was it this time?

 

Really, now, had Fushimi’s rare smiles affected him like this in the past, too?

 

He did have a beautiful smile, though…

 

Beautiful?

 

“Your drink is getting cold.” Fushimi said, pointing at the cup Yata had been holding in his hands for a good five minutes now.

 

“AH! Right!”

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

“So. Where are we going now?” Fushimi asked as they exited the café, hands back in the pockets of his coat.

 

“Hmm…” Yata shrugged, then looked around them.

 

The evening had long since ended and they were far into the night. February’s sky was pitch black, only the city lights of cars, screens and lamps made contrast against it. Being for Valentine’s sake or whatever, he couldn’t deny it looked beautiful, tainting the street in colorful reds and pinks. He turned to Fushimi. “We could go watch the city lights.”

 

Fushimi made a face “Sappy.”

 

“Hey!” Yata frowned, pouting. “I didn’t mean-“

 

“What, Misaki. Do you want to repeat the little scene we just had back there?”

 

The redhead blushed inevitably, still frowning at him. The thing was, when they had finished their drinks, he had checked again the price ticket and what they paid for their consumption didn’t match what the chocolate and coffee put together really costed. They paid less. While Fushimi hadn’t given it much importance and even said _Well. Good for us, right?_  Yata had worked in this kind of places as a part-timer lots of times, and he knew that the salary wasn’t that good for the employees.

 

He’d felt bad for taking advantage of it and so he had gone to the counter to explain the mistake, ignoring his friend’s click of tongue as he reluctantly followed after him. The guy taking the orders had looked between them kind of awkwardly and then said. _The price is correct. Today is Valentine’s so if you come in pair, you get a discount._

 

Fushimi had crossed his arms, humming playfully. And Yata had blushed. Really blushed, at what he thought that statement had meant _W-We…_  He had started, in a small voice. Then he’d cleared his throat and tried again. _We aren’t a couple… Though…_  He had said shyly. The man behind the counter had raised his eyebrows and smiled a little more, feeling bad for the embarrassment the client was showing for no reason. _I never said you needed to be one…?_

 

And Yata had got even redder, feeling stupid, while Fushimi tried to contain a chuckle behind him.

 

So. Fucking. Embarrassing.

 

He frowned even more at Fushimi’s amused grin _Rehabilitating from being an dick, my ass._  “Fuck you.”

 

“Yeah, yeah…” Fushimi waved him off. “Is it watching the lights, then?”

 

“You okay with it?”

 

“I don’t really mind…" He shrugged "Well, coincidentally I know a good place where we can do that. Follow me.” Without waiting for an answer, he turned on his heels and started walking.

 

Yata looked at his back for a moment before doing as he was told, walking from some steps behind him. The frown long forgotten, replaced with a calm expression and a warm smile on his lips.

 

 

 

* * *

 --TO BE CONTINUED.--

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YES, IT'S BEEN MORE THAN A MONTH, I KNOW. I'M REALLY SORRY. IT'S JUST... EXAMS YOU KNOW? Well. This was supposed to be a one-shot and I keep adding chapters xD. I did it because if I posted Chapter 2 as I had planned it it would be way longer than the first one so I'm adding Chapter 3 later - I'm a mess. I know. - Luckily I'm on vacation right now so I think i'd be able to post the final chapter - The final chapter, yes - Before Tuesday. Nothing more to say, hope you enjoy and sorry for the delay! ^^UUUU


	3. Illuminated by the the city lights.

_What am I doing?_   Fushimi thought, as they slowly walked up the small hill. He'd led them to a big park at the edge of the city which was mostly flat, nothing special: green grass, benches and trees spilled here and there with a sinuous pathway to walk on. There was this hill on the side of it, which offered a splendid view of the urban area below it, buildings covering all the way until the horizon against the dark sky.

 

Watching the city lights at night, form the top of a hill in a park. So typical. If this was a date, that is.

 

Which it wasn't.

 

He clicked his tongue and for about the hundredth time that day, he wondered if he was a masochist. Watching an spectacle with Misaki, drinking coffee with Misaki, hanging out with Misaki.  Talking with Misaki, joking with Misaki, smiling with Misaki. **Having fun** with Misaki. To be honest, with the years he thought he might have lost the ability to do that at all. And really, it _was_ masochist of him because in the end, even while he was doing all those things, he always kept in mind the certainty that it was all temporary and he must not relax and open his arms to it. Yeah, accepting Misaki's offering had been a whole error itself - he had to keep telling himself that. He had to - But this...

 

It felt so much like a date that it seemed as if the universe was moking him. Or Misaki was. Would, If he knew a thing about his feeling. He clicked his tongue, resisting the urge to look behind him because he knew exactly what he would see: Hazel eyes looking far away, towards the horizon, maybe showing that spark that made Fushimi lose all sense of reality. He had to get over this soon. 

 

"This is..." They reached the top finally and stood there, looking before them as the city showed proudly it's rich collection of bright colours. Artificial reds, pinks, yellows and blues shone into the darkness while the building's profiles where barely recognizable, all mashed up against the other; making it look like the lights were floating in the abyss. Fushimi didn't have to look at him to see Yata staring at the composition wide eyed as if it was the most amazing thing he had ever seen. "This is... Amazing.... ... AMAZING!"

 

'Amazing' uh... He hadn't heard that word for a while now. More accurately, in years. _Don't say that._ "I guess it's all right."

 

"All right!?" The other boy turned to him. He did not. "Saruhiko! How did you know about this place!?" The excitement was almost palpable in his voice, in the aura surrounding him. 

 

He shrugged, looking at the city with a neutral expression. "Don't remember." As the night went on it had started to get cooler. From the little space left between his mouth and scarf, small white puffs dissipated into the air. He kept his hands in the pockets of the coat, arms pressed against his sides.

 

"Man... I didn't even know this part of the city existed." Yata said turning to the display again, grinning. "Guess I spent most of the time around the bar and doing missions, and I never took the time to explore the rest properly"  _Yes, you did._ Fushimi thought - of course you'd focus your time and energy on _them_. He didn't say it.

 

.......................

.................

..............

.......

 

"Saruhiko

Thanks a lot for bringing me here."

 

He's voice was calm and sincere and happy and Fushimi really didn't know how to respond to that. He probably didn't need to, anyway.

 

"I..." He heard the other start again. One, two, three, six, eight seconds went by without any other word and he finally turned to look at him. This time, Yata was looking away, purposefully avoiding his eyes with his hands in his big trouser pockets and his shoulders hunched a bit. His jacket seemed thick enough but he wasn't wearing a scarf and from this angle Fushimi could see - despite having a bit of difficulty - the slight blush in his cheeks. Although it might have been the cold. Puffs of air also formed before his face as he breathed "There's something I've been meaning to tell you."

 

Fushimi stiffened a little at the determined tone in his voice, unconsciously. Yata still didn't look at him. "Did you know... That blonde boss of yours... And Kusanagi-san a-are going out..." He meant it as a question, tough by the way he mumbled it it didn't sound like one. The taller nodded - Yes, he had known for a while, when he randomly heard some of his co-workers chatting about it. Not that he cared. "W-Well... At first it bothered me because... It seems like they had had this thing going on between them even before all the JUNGLE stuff happened and they were from different clans and all..." Fushimi frowned. "But then I understood. That I was just envious."

 

The world stopped in that moment. The dull noise of the city was silenced abruptly. Or at least it did in his head. _What._ Envious. Envy. Of Kusanagi and Awashima going out. Different clans. 

 

"You already know this but I hated you for what you did to me." Yata kept on going. He was talking about _him_ now. "That's why, before, I never even considered that we could still be together no matter the colour we were and no one was gonna care, because it wasn't the colour you were that I hated - at first I thought it was, but it wasn't. I-It was that you left without explaining, that you stomped on my pride and you were m-my best friend." They had talked about this already, he really preferred not having to go through that again. But that apparently wasn't were Yata aimed to get, since he kept talking. "Now it's different. Now we don't have colours any more and even if we did I would have gone back to been your friend all the same." The redhead bit his lip, curling his hands into fists inside the pockets before adding in a more hushed tone. "Because we _are_ friends, right?"

 

The question may or may have not been rhetorical. There was a pause. "I just.... It's not enough." Yata said, turning his full body so they were right in  front of each other, the city as a background. His head was turned down, his eyes shadowed. "It's not enough for me." His fists tightened. "Kusanagi and her... They are dating. I didn't understand. I thought you guys didn't have any free time with all that work all the time." Fushimi couldn't move. Couldn't think. His heart started beating faster "And still... They are dating. I-I guess they don't see each other much but... At least they do, right? But we don't. I-Isn't that weird?" Envy. Not enough. Friends. Dating. See each other. _We. "_ But you are always busy. Always. I never complained though because I thought it couldn't be helped." His voice turned even lower. "But when I heard about them... I really... I..."

 

One of his Yata's trembling hands slid tentatively out of his pocket. He followed it with his eyes, not moving an inch. That hand reached out and grabbed the front of his coat. He gulped, suddenly feeling hyper aware of it, the fabric tightened in Misaki's fist and the coat pressing on his back since it was being pulled, though that arm didn't move. "I want more." Yata said, more firmly this time. Fushimi still couldn't see his eyes as he stared at him not really knowing what was happening, his mind completely blank and at the same time thinking more and more possibilities at full speed, out of control. "I want to see you more. I want to be with you more. The way we are now... Is not enough for me." _Ba-dump. Ba-dump. Ba-dump. Ba-dump. Ba-dump. "_ I want to be like them."

 

Yata seemed to hesitate before finally facing him, staring at him right in the eye with a serious face. It was a face he rarely did, the face for when he was going to say something important. Still he knew that face very well. It was the face he showed him all that time ago, when he told Fushimi to get a place with him because he didn't need a home like the place he was living in. The face he did in that mall, when he encountered him while walking straight into the trap JUNGLE had set them - even thought they both knew that even before they arrived right before the rest of their clans - and Yata tried - and failed, since Fushimi didn't let him - to thank him for helping in Anna's rescue, with that determined voice. The face he did when he came to rescue _him,_ even putting his clansman responsibilities in second place to do so, and told him straight that he - the blue, the traitor - was someone he looked up to. 

 

Yes, Fushimi knew this face fully well. It was Yata's 100 points face.

 

_No way..._

 

"Saruhiko."

 

_There is no way he is gonna say th-_

 

"Have you been avoiding me?"

 

 

 

 

...

 _Ah..._  

 

They stared at each other. One, with fierce determination, lips pressed in a thin line and a fire burning in his hazel eyes. The other with a wide eyed look on his face slowly turning to normal, blank, the light that had just lit in his blue eyes dying there and then.

 

_See?_

 

_I knew there was no way._

 

Seconds stretched like that. The fire still burned in Yata's eyes as he waited for response. Fushimi thought about how had he been so stupid. Things didn't go well for him, they never did. That is why he was trying to keep him away, until he forgot, until he gave up. Now the redhead wouldn't even let him do that. This was the last thing he had wanted to happen. And _of course_ it had to happen. He slapped the hand away and clicked his tongue, looking to the side irritably. 

 

"Saru..."

 

" _What_."

 

"Answer me."

 

... " ... I didn't."

 

"You did!"

 

"I said I didn't." his voice grew darker, his muscles tensed.

 

"Don't lie to me!" Yata looked at him with what looked like a mix of indignation, despair and fury. Of course he was right. And when he was right, he knew it. Fushimi was cornered, there was no escape this time and he somehow kept searching for one away from Yata's gaze, nervous and irritated, his body twitching like the fur of a cat stands up when sensing danger.

 

"WELL, IF YOU KNOW SO WELL, QUIT ASKING." He snapped. 

 

It startled both of them. Fushimi didn't say much, and when he did, it was always in a low tone, most times even a murmur. He never yelled, unless he was calling for attention on the battlefield or when he just had to, to be heard over some kind of noise like the turning propellers of SCEPTER4's helicopters. He rarely lost control like this. Yata stared at him with a puzzled look on his face as much as for the shout as for the fact that he stopped denying it so quickly. Fushimi was breathing hard, eyes narrowed and frowning angrily at the other. They stayed like that for a moment. Slowly, Yata lowered his head again, gritting his teeth tight.

 

"What the hell is with that..." He grabbed at Fushimi's coat again, not caring that he might be slapped and shook it, hard. "THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING, PULLING THAT SHIT ON ME _AGAIN_!" He raised his head. Angry tears were shining in the corners of his eyes and he didn't care. "DON'T YOU DARE DO THIS TO ME YOU STUPID ASSHOLE, DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE." He took a step forward, his face tilted up and looking directly into that impassive face. "WE TALKED DIDN'T WE! WE TALKED BECAUSE YOU ALMOST FUCKING DIED ON ME, IT TOOK YOU TO ALMOST FUCKING DIE TO OPEN YOUR SHITTY MOUTH AND TELL ME THINGS! AND NOW YOU ARE AVOIDING ME!?"

 

"SO WHAT! ISN'T IT BETTER THIS WAY?" He couldn't help but shoot back. He tried to move away, put more distance between them, but the hand clutched on his clothes didn't let him. Even if he slapped it again, it wouldn't pull away. He took a moment to breathe. He needed to calm down. At this point, he had no other choice but to do this. He could do it. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, let that hateful small smile slip back to his face. Like in the old times. "You know, Misaki... I realized. I really don't want to be your friend after all." He slowly opened his eyes again, still smiling, and saw Yata's furious expression: Narrowed eyes, mouth shut, glaring, breathing fast. It wasn't the shocked expression he had expected. He didn't stop, regardless. "It was okay, I guess, when we were just little children. But come on, we are grown ups now, aren't we." He took both hands out, raising his palms as he shrugged. "I don't have the time, nor the energy to deal with you anymore. It's boring anyway. I'm tired of it all." He was doing it. He was doing it _again_. "Yes, I'm actually glad you noticed. I _have_ been avoiding you. You are nothing but a pain in my ass." He put his hands on his hips and smiled wider, becoming all smug once more, a play he had long since forgotten. "You'd do me a great favour If you stopped calling me from now on."

 

Yata only looked at him. He listened to everything he had to say and kept looking at his face without even blinking. Looking for. Searching. A crack. A crack in the mask. The light now sparkling in Saru's eyes waver if even just a bit. He saw non of it. And you know what? It didn't really matter. It was Fushimi's face the one to change in shock when he saw the other do something he would have never imagined he would do in a situation like this. Yata relaxed his posture and leaned back, never letting go of Fushimi's coat and he narrowed his eyes even more as he _smiled. "_ You stupid monkey seriously think I'm going to fall for those lies?" The taller gaped at him. And he _never_ gaped, either. "I ain't that stupid, you know. I was with you today." Yata quit smiling and his eyes once more shone with determination. "And I saw you. I saw the way you looked and I heard you talk. You took me to this place when you could have just said you didn't feel like it." He took another step forward and closed the distance between them, their bodies almost touching and the older's fist pressed between their chests. "What? Come on, continue. Keep lying to my face. I'm not gonna believe any single word of it."

 

The way they were right now, their faces were really close, too. Not enough that he could feel the other's breath on his face as he saw it puffing out of his mouth, but almost. Still, that was not the reason Fushimi was almost choking on his breath, _physically._ He saw the glint in Yata's eyes, now it was not just that he couldn't escape, the predator had already jumped on him and eaten him alive. It didn't work. It didn't. Misaki didn't fall for it. He was scared. He was really scared. But deep deep down...

 

He was glad.

 

"You idiot." Seems like Misaki had more things to say. "You probably were thinking of leaving before I did it to you or some garbage like that, weren't you. Like always. When is it going to get through that your thick skull." His eyes didn't leave his, not even for a second. "Push me away, hurt me all you want, as long as I know you really want me beside you..." He's grasp on he fabric loosed, and he put his hand square on Fushimi's chest instead, the younger's heart beating right below it.

 

"...I'm not going anywhere."

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

He could feel the heart throbbing under his palm, and his own heart was beating just as fast. He could almost feel the blood pumping into his hears, Saru's body so close to his, Saru's face so close to his. The usually cool blue eyes in front of him were wavering with emotion behind the glasses - an emotion that he knew that would only be shown to him, and nobody else. Yata knew he had gotten him, and now that he had, there was no way he was letting go. Not again. Never again. He was glad he could stop this in time, glad he had come to this date non-date or whatever, glad that his friends at HOMRA were such assholes and glad for Kusanagi and his girlfriend, so very glad. He didn't know what he was doing. He was acting purely on instinct, which tended to make him ruin things, but with Saruhiko it might be the only way to make things work out. Saruhiko closed his eyes and fisted his hands putting them down, shaking all over. He was trying to put himself together, not fall into pieces then and there. Yata let him, because he knew he was not going to get any more lies now. He stayed like that, eyes fixed on him and even if he had tried to look away, he knew he couldn't.

 

"Saru." He called once again, softly. "Just tell me, okay? Tell me what you want. From me. For us. And I swear I'll give it to you and never take it away." He was talking without carefully processing the words, just saying them as it came to mind, but as he spoke them, he knew he didn't regret any of them. He pressed his hand a little more into the other.

 

"What I... Want..." The other said slowly, as if he still feared his voice to crack in any moment. He opened his eyes and looked down at his chest. Then he slowly looked up at Yata. The look on those infinite blue orbs had him holding his breath, if his heart started beating like crazy or abruptly stopped beating at all, he couldn't tell. There was something in that look, something so intense and so starved, like the eyes of a hungry beast chained down, not able to pound on the pray he desired so much, mere meter away from it. This beast had been chained for years and the chains were it's own claws, digging on the ground as it forced itself not to go for it. Something in that look was pleading, desperately calling to him and Yata was answering without even thinking, trying to move even closer. "What does Misaki want...?"

 

"What I want?" He mumbled, and when he did feel Fushimi's breath barely reaching his lips he blushed, but he didn't back off nor tear his gaze away from those captivating eyes. What did he really want? To be friends with him, obviously. It was what he had always wanted. He had wanted to learn about Fushimi and how amazing he was. He had wanted to stay by his side. He had wanted to take him away from that horrible house and rule the world with him - And if they couldn't, they would just destroy it and it might be even better. He had wanted to show his mark proudly with him. To make Mikoto feel proud of them. He had wanted to fight back-to-back with him because together, they were invincible. He then had wanted to pull that hand off his mark because what are you doing _what the hell are you doing!!!!!!._ He had wanted answers and he had wanted to kill him - But in the end he had only wanted him back. He had wanted to understand. And when he understood he had wanted to save him before it was to late. And he did. 

 

He wanted...

 

What he truly wanted...

 

He didn't notice that he'd been leaning closer and closer until those lips brushed his. He opened his eyes wide and Fushimi opened his eyes wide. His breath stuttered as it left his lips and their lips weren't touching anymore but non of them had moved away, not even and inch. They both stared, silently asking, questioning each other in millions of ways that never left their lips. He didn't understand what had just happen, what he just did. Not even himself. And then...

 

_There was no one he liked he had just been thinking about Saruhiko. Two completely unrelated topics. They could become something again... Something different from their Middle School days but something... Together... He had never fallen for a girl but... No way. Right...? Why was he so irritated about this?  Why had he felt like he needed an excuse, tough. And I don’t even feel that way about him. So why was he feeling self-conscious about it? The fact that it was Valentine’s had nothing to do with it. At all. Gah! This is so irritating! Why did he have to feel like that? I just want to talk to him, that’s why!  Hm? Why did it feel like he was trying to convince himself about it? Being with Fushimi, sitting next side by side in the dim light… On this particular day… Yata didn't know why everything today was affecting him so much. The feeling that he was missing something important._

_Really, now, had Fushimi’s rare smiles affected him like this in the past, too?_

The next second he was kissing Fushimi, raising on the tips of his toes, tilting his head and closing his eyes. He stopped thinking altogether, as he pushed into those thin lips, hungrily, clumsily and not even caring about the rest of the world. And then he was being kissed back, those lips pressing into his just as desperately. A pair of arms circled his waist, pulling him closer and he didn't fight back at all, sneaking his arm between them to free it and encircling the other's neck, fisting his hands in Fushimi's dark hair and pressing their bodies together, letting their frenzied hearts beat against each other's. The sensation that came with tasting those cool lips was foreign, like the overwhelming warmth between them stark again that February night's cold air, and like the hands pulling at his jacket while trying to pull him in the kiss more, insistently, nor forgiving the thinnest distance between them. But he welcomed it. Every bit of it. He wanted more. He had been waiting for this for years even if he was realizing it just now but fuck if he was willing to wait even a second longer. He needed this. So much.

 

He was going crazy, he really was, kissing and nipping and hugging and holding and wanting to laugh and cry until he couldn't breath anymore. It was electrifying, he's body reacted with eagerness, making him shudder as he kissed those already swollen, far from cold lips which he seemed to never get tired of and never would. The other didn't relent any more than he did, kissing the life out of him and at the same time fuelling and giving him even more. He felt as if he was being consumed and really he just couldn't care less. Saruhiko wanted this. Saruhiko wanted him just as much as he wanted him. Saruhiko was his now,  _finally_ , and he could tell the other shared the same thoughts.

 

He knew now. He finally understood. He loved him.  And Saru loved him back. Always.

 

He didn't stop until he was forced to part from those lips for air if he didn't want to faint in the other's arms. He was panting, hard, and Fushimi was too and they simply stayed like that for a long moment, catching their breath, and Yata kept his eyes closed. It was'n until minutes later that he finally opened them, keeping them lidded, and he gazed at the work of art that was Fushimi panting, flush heavy on his chicks, pride and cool and all damned, looking back at Yata through his eyelashes like he was a dream come true. Yata smiled a tiny smile but with enough fondness to make and iceberg melt. This time, he did think before talking when he finally answered:

 

"You."

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT'S FINALLY OVER! Don't misunderstand, it's not like I didn't enjoy writing this. I really did. I'm proud that I could keep the promise I made to myself to update this before Tuesday. I want a cookie. Nah I want COMMENTS! PLEASE! I don't care about kudos that much but when people bother to make a small review of your work I think I talk for every writer out there when I tell you it's really gratifying. It doesn't even need to be a review, just tell me your opinion. (It's ok even if it is bad as long as it's helpful and respectful.) So... Well! That was all! Thanks a lot for reading, I'll be correcting the typos and stuff eventually, don't worry. HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY ON MARCH 28, EVERYONE!

**Author's Note:**

> Okay! I've finally wrote something! Lately we’ve been in need of more SaruMi fics, really…. Even if K ends the fandom shall always stay active! There's never enough SaruMi to satisfy our shipper hearts!  
> Okay, fangirling apart. First time writing this two… And actually first time writing anything. Also English is not my mother language so… Don't be too hard on me? ^^U  
> Something I have to apologize for, this was supposed to be a one-shot but in the middle of the exam period and having started writing this not even a week ago there was no way it was gonna be done by the 14th so… Yeah. Sorry about that. I’ll try to finish this as soon as posible.
> 
> So… I think that’s pretty much it? Comments are always appreciated and no need to be shy, if you notice anything I need to improve, please let me know! Give the newbie some advice hahaha. Hope you enjoy!


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